Faith That Overflows: Why Your Faith Is More Than Sunday

What do international soccer fans think when they visit America for the first time? Apparently, they can't get enough of Buc-ee's, Taco Bell, Waffle House, and Ranch dressing. They're shocked by how kind people are. And from Carolina to Texas to Kansas City, BBQ is changing lives. But here's what strikes me most about all of this: these visitors are telling us something we take for granted. This place we live in is pretty great.

Your opinion about something can be so solid and so sure, and then you meet someone who changes everything. That's a powerful thought — and it applies directly to faith. The way we live either draws people to or pushes them away from Jesus. And that's why it's so important that your faith is More Than Sunday.

From the Living Room to the Kitchen

We've been in a series called More Than Sunday, and for the last few weeks we've been saying that Sunday matters. Gathering to hear the Scriptures read, to sing songs together about God, to offer worship to him, to pray together, to find community — this is all so valuable. But my end goal isn't simply to get you to come back to church Sunday after Sunday. I desire so much more for you the other six days of the week.

As the writer of Hebrews puts it in Hebrews 6:1, "Let us go on and become mature in our understanding." An hour on Sunday helps us. But to live a life that honors God, develops your character to be more like Jesus, and makes an impact in the world — that takes More Than Sunday.

We've been walking through a pathway that shows how we can take steps toward living this way. It starts in the neighborhood — pre-faith, pre-church. Then people move to the porch, where curiosity turns to conversation. As we discover who Jesus is, we move toward the living room, where we begin to experience life change. And now we arrive at the kitchen.

Think about the place you live. The kitchen is where life happens. It's where people gather and where conversations take place. Walking into the "kitchen" spiritually means arriving at a place where you are serving others and inviting them to experience what you have found. It is where disciples become disciple-makers. It is where faith moves beyond personal growth and begins to overflow into the lives of others.

What Happened When the Early Church Lived It Out

In Acts 2:42, we find a list of things the earliest followers of Jesus were devoted to: "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer." These weren't optional extras — these four things drove their decisions and their practices.

And the result? Acts 2:47b tells us, "And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved."

Imagine that. These men and women, these followers of Jesus, were living out their faith in such a way that other people were clamoring for the opportunity to join them. This is what making it to the kitchen looks like.

The Pattern Is Impossible to Miss

This wasn't a one-time event. Throughout the book of Acts, the same thing keeps happening. When a dispute broke out among early believers about widows being neglected, they didn't puff up or pick a fight — they fixed the issue. They selected seven trustworthy leaders to care for the widows so the apostles could continue teaching. The result? Acts 6:7 tells us, "The number of believers greatly increased."

The pattern repeats over and over:

• "More and more people believed" (Acts 5:14)

• "The number of believers greatly increased" (Acts 6:7)

• "With the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in Numbers" (Acts 9:31)

• "Many people were brought to the Lord" (Acts 11:24)

• "There were many new believers" (Acts 12:24)

The believers did not manufacture growth. They could not save anyone. They could not change hearts. Only the Lord could do that. What they could do was live faithfully and see what God would do. There is a powerful partnership here.

The Church Exists for Others

Sometimes churches get confused and think the church is about the people who are gathered. But in the words of pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, written from a prison cell during World War II, "The Church is the Church only when it exists for others."

Bonhoeffer had watched churches become self-centered, focused more on institutional preservation than on making a difference. His reminder is simple but challenging: the Church does not exist for itself. It exists for others.

And here's the thing — when the New Testament talks about "the church," it isn't talking about a building, a service, or an organization. The church isn't something you do. It's something you are. Faith working itself out isn't something to consume. Faith is something you contribute.

As James wrote in James 2:17, "So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless." True faith is always at work, impacting others.

Putting It Into Practice

So let me ask you a few questions worth sitting with this week:

• What are you most passionate about? What is something you can never talk enough about?

• What breaks your heart or moves you to action? Is it poverty, loneliness, injustice, children without advocates?

• What are you doing about it? The kitchen is about faith in action.

If this whole faith thing were just about attending church, about checking a weekly box, it would be so easy — and so unfulfilling. Living for Jesus isn't about getting to heaven. It's about bringing heaven to earth. And that happens when you follow him each and every day, acknowledging that your faith is for More Than Sunday.

If it seems overwhelming, if you aren't sure what your next step should be, that's OK. That's where grace comes in. Start with one question: Where can I serve this week? Then take that step — and watch what God does.